Wallace Beery set the standard for lovable lugs when he essayed the role of Long John Silver in Treasure Island. Turned out the nastiest pirate on the Spanish Main was one lovable lug after all, especially around kids like Jackie Cooper.
Bad Bascomb is simply Beery as Long John Silver on two legs gone west. And this time it's the sweet innocence of little Margaret O'Brien that warms the old outlaw's heart.
Beery as Bascomb is a leader of a large band of outlaws with J. Carrol Naish as his second in command. The film opens with the Governors of three territories in conference about how to get him with federal government agent Donald Curtis. They almost do get him, trapping him like they did Jesse James in Northfield, Minnesota. But as the James Brothers escaped from that trap, Beery and Naish do likewise and hide undercover in a Mormon wagon train heading for Utah.
It's there that Beery meets up with little Margaret and her grandmother Marjorie Main. And he starts to change his evil ways.
There's a whole lot of action in this film for those who want their westerns to emphasize that. The ambush of Beery's gang, the posse chase and a serious Indian attack.
One scene I did find a bit much though was during that Indian attack, Margaret O'Brien using her peashooter against the Indians. Kind of dumb in my humble opinion.
But the chemistry between Main and Beery and O'Brien is on full throttle here. And that's reason enough to watch Bad Bascomb.
Bad Bascomb is simply Beery as Long John Silver on two legs gone west. And this time it's the sweet innocence of little Margaret O'Brien that warms the old outlaw's heart.
Beery as Bascomb is a leader of a large band of outlaws with J. Carrol Naish as his second in command. The film opens with the Governors of three territories in conference about how to get him with federal government agent Donald Curtis. They almost do get him, trapping him like they did Jesse James in Northfield, Minnesota. But as the James Brothers escaped from that trap, Beery and Naish do likewise and hide undercover in a Mormon wagon train heading for Utah.
It's there that Beery meets up with little Margaret and her grandmother Marjorie Main. And he starts to change his evil ways.
There's a whole lot of action in this film for those who want their westerns to emphasize that. The ambush of Beery's gang, the posse chase and a serious Indian attack.
One scene I did find a bit much though was during that Indian attack, Margaret O'Brien using her peashooter against the Indians. Kind of dumb in my humble opinion.
But the chemistry between Main and Beery and O'Brien is on full throttle here. And that's reason enough to watch Bad Bascomb.